News

Corbin, Tripp Flash Victory Smiles

7/6/2012

A hot steamy afternoon gave way to skies filled with both man-made and natural fireworks as Vince Corbin grabbed his first St. Croix Valley Raceway win of the summer. Fireworks Forever provided a pyrotechnic display after Corbin’s win, competing with Mother Nature’s stratospheric light show that preceded a cooling and welcome downpour – but not before all scheduled racing was completed. Jason Havel, Greg Gunderson, Kevin Bradwell and Jesse Tripp were the other feature winners at SCVR’s second Kids’ night celebration that included Vintage cars and fireworks.

With a highly uncertain weather forecast, St. Croix Valley Raceway officials pressed the show forward as quickly as possible, and the drivers did their part as well, running through the all of the qualifying heat races without a single caution. After a very short intermission, the Pure Stocks got the feature fireworks rolling with a fifteen car field paced by Dustin Doughty and Ben Kaphing. After one circuit, Doughty held the point, followed by Jason Havel, Kaphing, opening week winner Jay Folz and Tony DuBois. By lap two, Havel was in his familiar spot, the lead, leaving Doughty, Kaphing and Folz to battle for second. A few cautions couldn’t slow Havel, who went on to claim his sixth consecutive feature in front of Doughty, Krysta Swearingen, Kaphing and Jake Silbernagel.

Slow and steady may describe the growth of the UMSS Micro Sprint car field, which numbered five on kids’ night, but it certainly can’t describe Greg Gunderson. The South Dakota chauffer has brought his Purple Communications #22x micro to The Valley four times in 2012, and “Silent Thunder” has posed in Victory Lane each of those four times. The five car field watched Dustin Berger lead the opening lap in front of Ty Sampair and Gunderson. Sampair took over the top spot until just prior to half way when Gunderson knifed to the point and never looked back. Once again in dominating fashion, Gunderson cruised to the win ahead of Sampair, Dustin Berger, Allison Berger and Tony Duran.

The Northern Vintage Stockcar Racers were on hand as part of the Kids’ Night celebration. As is their tradition, young fans present the winners’ trophies, and the racers present the trophy right back to the fan as a souvenir. Zoey Dooley and Dalton Arnett were the lucky recipients of Joe L’Allier’s winning effort in the vintage full bodied division. In the vintage super modifieds, Travis Lawson took home Ken Sabby’s trophy.

In the North Branch Shooting Range Future Four main event, Duane Roberts and Damon Roberts paced the eleven car field to the green flag. Damon Roberts led the opening lap, with Jesse Tripp, Duane Roberts, Oliver Swanson Alex Hallin and Kyle Dahlheimer in pursuit. On lap two, Tripp and Damon Roberts swapped positions and Tripp settled into a groove from there. Through fifteen laps, Tripp proved to have the fastest hot rod,besting Damon Roberts and Dahlheimer, with Chris Rick and Chris Arnett rounding out the top five.

Next up were the Sterling Bank UMSS Traditional Sprints, with Rob Caho Jr. and Denny Stordahl bringing the nine car field to Shaun Cimfl’s waving green flag. Stordahl got the early jump and showed the fast way around the raceway, always under pressure from Caho, for the first four laps. On lap five, Caho and Stordahl came together, with Stordahl’s #34 mount spinning and stopping half over the turn two retaining wall. Caho was unable to continue, while Stordahl re-fired and joined the back of the field. Running third at the time of the crash was Kevin Bradwell, who inherited the lead in front of Johnny Parsons III, Lucas Miz and Jack Clark. Milz applied occasional pressure to Parsons, who simultaneously pursued Bradwell. Shuffling continued throughout the field but Bradwell proved the fastest as he went on to claim his fourth SCVR sticker of the summer ahead of Parsons, Jeff Pellersels, Milz and Katrina Suatbine.

The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds provided the final on-track action with Mike Halvorsen and Kevin Marlett leading the way. Marlett led the first five laps with Vince Corbin, Tyler English and Corey Fogelson all vying for second. Just prior to halfway, Corbin jumped to the point, with Fogelson slipping by Marlett a few laps later. As Corbin tried to stretch his lead, the battle for second raged on with the last five laps incredibly tight. At the final double checkered flag, it was Corbin collecting his first trophy of the summer while English just barely edged Fogleson in a photo finish for second. Marlett and Miranda Carlson rounded out the top five.

St. Croix Valley Raceway is back in action Friday night, July 13, with all regular classes on tap: UMSS Traditional and Micro sprints, WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds, as well as Future Fours and Pure Stocks. Friday is also dollar beer night at the Raceway. Upcoming events at the Raceway include free food night on July 20, and Thunder in the Valley 3, featuring the Bumper to Bumper IRA Sprint series on Friday July 27. It will be the first ever visit by the traveling 410 outlaw sprint cars to the quarter-mile speed plant, and they will most certainly establish a new all-time track speed record. Additional details for these or any other future events at St. Croix Valley Raceway can be found on the track’s website, www.scvraceway.com.

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